One Day
by Ikari no Ojo
Summary: Sheldon didn't mean it when he asked her out, he couldn't have. He was too into Amy for it to be true. But when Penny finally gets the big break she had always wished for, things between them begin to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Yep, another Sheldon/Penny story! I would like to thank ****Jislane for her constant support. I hope you enjoy this story, as this one will actually be a full story :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT or the characters. I only own the plot line and that's all. Oh and there's a line from LMFAO's 'All Night Long'**

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><p>Everyone has their "de-stressers", whether it be music, art, drugs, alcohol, in Penny's case it usually was alcohol, but tonight she found that her "de-stresser" was Age of Conan. She had a long, stressful day at the Cheesecake Factory. During her double shift she ended up with three infants throwing their food at her, one of them managing to land their creamed peas in her hair. A drunk customer grabbed her ass, while a drunken mother-in-law spilt what was her 15th drink on her.<p>

By the time she got home, her feet hurt and she was silently cursing humanity. Throwing her coat on the floor, Penny entered her bathroom with all intent for a nice warm shower before killing people on Age of Conan when the ominous knocks on her door cut through the silence.

*Knock knock knock*

"Penny!"

*Knock knock knock*

"Penny!"

*Knock knock knock*

"Penny!"

Sighing, she rubbed her temples and went into the door. "What is it Sheldon?" she asked. "It might have escaped your notice but tonight is Pizza and Vintage Video Game night" Sheldon said as he stood before her with his hands behind his back. Raising an eyebrow, Penny took in the sight of Sheldon as he stood there. Today he wore his green shirt that had the bat designs on it and a purple thermal that was rolled up, as usual, to his elbow and exposed his forearms. His long legs were covered in his normal grey plaid pants and she had to raise an eyebrow at his clothing choice. She still didn't know who told him that it was ok to wear plaid with green and purple.

"Sheldon, I just got out of work and I'm really tired" said Penny as she tried not to let her headache overcome her. "But it's Pizza and Vintage Video Game night" Sheldon reiterated, his voice becoming squeaky and his eyes showed his nervousness. "I'm really sorry but I'm too tired" said Penny as she shut the door, leaving Sheldon standing behind the closed door with his hands clenching and unclenching before he turned to his apartment. When he opened the door, the others stared at him. "So is Penny coming?" asked Leonard with a hint of hopefullness. "I am not quite sure but is it social convention to slam the door on someone when they remind them of what day of the week it is?" asked Sheldon as he took his spot.

Howard turned to him and just stared. "Did you remind her or did you were you trying to force her here?" asked Howard. "I was merely reminding here of the already established schedule and that she has to adhere to it" said Sheldon. "You don't do that!" exclaimed Leonard. "And why not?" asked Sheldon. "Because...that's just rude!" said Leonard. Sheldon just stared at him, confused as to why he was upset. As their night dragged on, Sheldon began to fidget more and more. "This is unacceptable! She has failed to adhere to a strict schedule" said Sheldon. Just as he got up Leonard glared at him. "She doesn't want to come over she doesn't have to. Just sit down and relax and enjoy your night" he said.

Sheldon narrowed his eyes and he stayed where he was, reaching over and grabbing his computer. Howard and Raj were busy playing Pong as Leonard shook his head. Somedays Sheldon was just too much to deal with. Sheldon started up Age of Conan and gave a small smile when he saw 'QueenPenelope' was online.

Penny sat on her couch in Hello Kitty shorts and a tank top as she furiously typed on her keyboard of her laptop as she kept her focus on Age of Conan, smiling when she saw 'Sheldor' sign online. She was in the middle of a quest, trying to kill a giant demon minotaur when he messaged her.

"_I am impressed, you aren't completely inebriated and can actually play this game"_

And like that her smile fell. Leave it to Sheldon to make her already bad day worse, but then again, she didn't really expect much from him. He was always like this, insulting her then complimenting her. Their relationship was very hot and cold, something that drove Penny to the brink of insanity.

"_Shouldn't you be with Amy?" _she hissed back at him.

"_She, unlike some, understands the importance of schedules"_

And just like that, Penny was livid. She was tired of Sheldon and his attitude, she thought he would've changed since dating Amy, but then she reminded herself who she was speaking about. Sheldon frakin' Cooper. He didn't change for anyone.

"Except Amy" Penny muttered to herself bitterly, but then caught herself. Was this jealousy she was feeling? It was like this tiny demon inside of her was clawing at her insides to get out. It was angrier and angrier at their relationship. But she was Amy's friend, shouldn't she be happy for them? Why was it suddenly so hard to accept their relationship?

"_Penny how about you and I go out on a date?"_ she heard Sheldon's voice echo in her mind. Every since that night nearly a month ago, she found that things between her and Sheldon have grown rather icy. "_I'm the guy" _ Penny recalled Sheldon saying. Placing a palm to her forehead she found she couldn't erase the memory of that night. "_No. You're not the guy"_ she heard herself say.

It was true, wasn't it? Sure Sheldon was a great friend, but that's all they were. Shaking her head, she found herself shutting down the computer and picking up the phone. "Bestie! What's up?" asked Amy after Penny dialed her number. "You up for some clubbing tonight? I'm a bit stressed out and need a girl's night" said Penny. She could practically hear Amy smiling on the other line. "Sure! Let me get ready and then I assume you'll be picking me and Bernadette up?" asked Amy. "Of course!" said Penny as she smiled and hung up, going to dial Bernadette's number.

"Hello Penny" said Bernadette happily. "Hey Bernadette. Want to go clubbing with Amy and myself?" asked Penny. "Sure. I mean since Howard's busy tonight and all" she said with a chuckle. It was moments like these that Penny loved having these two as friends. "I'll be picking up Amy first then I'll come get you" said Penny. After getting up, Penny opened her closet and stared at the recently organized closet. She smiled as she briefly recalled the memory of Sheldon and her coming up with a once a month aparment cleaning contract. It was the only way she could keep him out of her apartment when she wasn't there to clean it to his standards.

The smile fell as she recalled his recent words and anger boiled up inside. Pulling out a dress she had received from her mother for Christmas, she grinned. It was a strapless black dress with thick green stripes going from the top of the dress to the sides in a diagnal line. Those stripes were on her bosom with another thick green line forming an upside down check mark underneath them. Reaching into her closet, she pulled out a pair of six inch black heels that near the toes were sort of like platforms. They were increadibly comfortable for heels and she loved them.

After getting dressed, she headed into the bathroom and turned her curler on. As she curled her hair so it was golden ringlets falling onto her shoulders, she wondered what makeup she should choose for the night. She opted for simply black smokey makeup that made her green eyes glisten in the light. Satisfied with her appearance, Penny grabbed a small black purse and put her phone it, but not before shooting Amy and Bernadette texts telling them she was on her way.

When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Sheldon at the door of his apartment. It was like he wanted to come over to her apartment and talk to her, probably about her abrupt sign off while in the middle of a mission. But she was pleased to see that he was at a loss of words, his hands clenching and unclenching in nervousness as his eyes briefly scanned her body before meeting her eyes. "Sheldon" said Penny as she turned to head down the stairs. Sheldon nodded dumbly at her, his posture and his antics giving away his discomfort and she smirked before vanishing from his view.

Once in the car, she headed towards Amy's apartment. She may be mad at Sheldon but she's not mad at her bestie. She could never be mad at her, no matter what happened between Sheldon and her. "Am I sure about that?" Penny muttered to herself but shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts. Penny was not about to ruin her friendship, or her night, because of Sheldon Lee Cooper. "No way in hell" she muttered as she turned off onto Amy's road. Parking the car, Penny got out of the car and headed up to her room.

*Knock knock knock*

"Amy!"

*Knock knock knock*

"Amy!"

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Amy!"

After the third set of knocks Penny froze. She had, without thinking, done Sheldon's signature knock. And on his girlfriend's door nonetheless. Wincing, she tried not to dwell on it when Amy came to the door. "Should I assume that your mind is on a proverbial vacation and that you unknowingly did Sheldon's knock on my door?" asked Amy with a smile. Penny laughed and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that Amy" she said. "No problem bestie. You look hot by the way" Amy said. Penny grinned and thanked her before sitting down. "I'm almost ready" said Amy before she went into her room.

Penny stared at the smoking monkey on the other side of the room with an amused look. Moments later, Amy walked into the room with a gorgeous blue dress on that showed off a modest amount of cleavage and had a mesh back that only showed off a modest amount of back. Penny beamed and gave her friend a thumbs up. "You were right bestie. This dress does look fabulous on me" said Amy. "I told you!" she said. Amy had a regular pair of black heels on and her eyes were coated in dark blue eyeshadow in the smokey eye look. "Girl, if Sheldon could see you now" said Penny as Amy blushed.

Thinking quickly, Penny took her phone out and took a photo of her friend before sending the photo to Sheldon. "There. Now he'll see you. Let's go get Bernadette" said Penny as she linked arms with Amy and headed to her car. When they picked up Bernadette, Penny's jaw dropped. Bernadetta looked gorgeous, like Amy had and Penny couldn't wait to take a photo for Howard. Her red tunic dress stopped mid-thigh with sleeves that cut off at her elbow. There were slits on the sleeves that showed off her arms and the cleavage shown as a modest amount. She too wore a simple pair of black heels and had simple eye liner on.

"Wait! I have to send a photo of you to Howard!" said Penny with an excited grin as she got out of the car and took a photo of Bernadette. "I cannot believe you convinced me to buy this dress" said Bernadette. "Oh come on, you look beautiful. Tonight let's just have fun" said Penny. They drove in silence to the club for a few moments before Bernadette spoke up. "How come we're clubbing tonight? Did something happen?" asked Bernadette. "Oh the usual. Hellish day at work paired with a hellish day dealing with Sheldon" said Penny as she decided not to completely vent. "Want me to tell him to be nicer bestie?" asked Amy.

Penny chuckled, touched by her friend's sentiment but shook her head. "No, it's fine Amy. But thank you" she said as they entered the club. Howard had long since texted her back about the photo of Bernadette, thanking her profusely about the dress and how it made him want to "get down and dirty" with her. Penny dropped her phone into her bag for the rest of the night, trying to rid her mind of that image. The trio found a place to sit, order their drinks, and began their night.

Many drinks later, Penny found herself dancing with Amy and Bernadette to a random song that she could barely register the lyrics to. However, one line in particular stood out to her. _"He's outta space like Anakin, body like a mannequin, sippin' on some Hennessy". _Penny nearly died with laughter, partly because her drunken mind could understand those lyrics and partly because they made a Star Wars reference. In the deepest reaches of her mind she asked herself just how she knew that.

"Bestie, I have a question for you" asked Amy as all three of them sat down again to get more drinks. "Shoot" said Penny with a drunken smile. "Is it a normal thing to want to kiss another girl?" asked Amy. Penny laughed and lightly shoved her friends. "Everyone experiments with that at some point Amy. So don't worry!" Penny said. Amy and Bernadette laughed at her drunken flailing and then Amy asked another question. "Could I experiment on you?" she asked, causing Penny to almost choke on her drink.

Well this was new, but Penny was three sheets to the wind and couldn't say she really cared in the slightest. "Sure why the hell not?" she said as Amy leaned forward and placed a peck on her best friends lips, much to the delight of the guys around them who cheered and wolf whistled at them. When she pulled away Amy just had to say "Fascinating" before Penny started laughing.

"You sounded like Sheldon there" she said through her giggles. "Sheldon allllllllllways says 'fascinating'" said Penny. Luckily Bernadette wasn't drunk like Amy and Penny were because someone needed to drive them home. "But Sheldon's a big jerk" said Penny as she childishly began to pout. "I know bestie! He won't even let me cuddle with him" Amy said. Penny swung her arm around her friend's shoulders as Bernadette decided that now was time to leave. The other two protested but followed her out of the club and into Penny's car.

Once they made it to Penny's apartment, the two drunk girls stumbled up the stairs while the only sober one tried to make sure they didn't fall. Amy and Penny had long since taken their shoes off and by the time they made it to the fourth floor, they were laughing so hard they could barely stand. Bernadette was relieved to see Howard, Raj, Sheldon, and Leonard staring at them. Penny looked up from the floor to see Sheldon staring at her with his scrutinizing glare and her happiness turned to anger. "See? I went out and got drunk like you oh so kindly thought of me to do" she said. Sheldon's eyebrow rose as the others stared at her.

"I kissed Penny" Amy blurted out, shocking everyone in the hallway. "Dude, that's hot" said Howard who got elbowed by Raj. Penny giggled and Leonard went to reach out for her when Bernadette turned to him. "Can you bring Amy home?" she asked. Confused as to why she asked him and not just asked Howard why he couldn't bring her home with her, he nodded and gently grabbed the drunken scientist before leading her back down the stairs with her all the way singing 'I kissed a girl and I liked it'.

"Howard, do you mind if we leave?" asked Bernadette as she said good night to a drunk and angry Penny while Howard dragged Raj with him. Once they disappeared Penny took a stumble forward. "You think so lowly of me don't you? Am I never good enough? Nothing I do is enough isn't it Sheldon? Am I just some freakin' drunk to you? Is that all I am? You were so mad at me for missing stupid Pizza and Vintage Video Game Friday because I came home from a hellish double shift at the Cheesecake Factory. Did you even wonder why my day was bad?" she spat at him.

Sheldon stared at her, not knowing what to do or say and twitched to show his discomfort. "No you didn't, you just assumed I was going to drink myself into oblivion" she snarled and when he finally took a step forward, she opened her apartment door. "Good night you asshole!" Penny spat before slamming the door in his face. Sheldon stood outside her door, wondering just what the hell he did to make her so mad. After all, she did do exactly what he thought she would do. Giving her door one last look, he briefly wondered why she drank so much recently before heading to bed.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Let me begin by saying thank you Jislane for her wonderful review. Your support helps fuel these Shenny stories, so thank you :) And let me say thank you to those who favorited this story and added it as an alert: toegirl, BreathlessFaith, and restlesswolves. Thank you again for the support! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I just own the plot**

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><p>The next morning was the morning from hell. Penny woke up with her head feeling like it was smashed into a wall. Clutching her head, she rose out of bed and walked into the living room. It was silent and she was relieved...until her phone began to ring. With a groan, she picked it up without looking at the caller ID.<p>

"Morning bestie" came the miserable voice of Amy. Penny recovered from the pain her ringtone caused as she flopped down on the couch. "Oh hey Amy" she said just as miserable. "Do you...remember anything from last night?" asked Amy. Penny tried to think of what happened last night, only managing to grasp blurry bits and pieces. "Apparently you and I shared a kiss" said Amy as Penny spat out her water. "Oh good lord" said Penny. "My thoughts exactly" Amy agreed. "Well, it happens" Penny said, shrugging it off. "I suppose so" said Amy. The two talked for a bit longer before they hung up.

And then a whole new headache occured for Penny when she heard that knock that only one person used. Now was not the time for her to deal with him. She was still pissed at him for last night, recalling their fight and his comments on Age of Conan.

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Penny!"

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Penny!"

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Penny!"

Penny groaned and ignored him to go take a shower. She didn't want to see him, all she would get out of his mouth would be a bunch of reprimands for her actions last night. After getting dressed and grabbing her keys, she opened the door to see Sheldon standing there with a rather annoyed look on his face.

"You do realize just how long I have been standing out here don't you? It has been aproximately forty minutes and I know you heard me" said Sheldon as he crossed his arms. "You are right, I did hear you" Penny said with a glare. "Isn't it social protocol for one to answer the door when another knocks?" asked Sheldon. "Isn't it social protocol for someone to be understanding of ones bad day and not make it worse, or insinuate that they are a drunk?" snapped Penny.

"I did no such thing" said Sheldon. Penny's glared grew deadly as Sheldon took a step back. "Oh? Then what do you call your message on Age of Conan? How dare you" she seethed. "I was merely pointing out that for the past month your alcohol intake has greatly increased and that I was genuinely surprised to see you coherent enough to play a game" Sheldon said as if it were no big deal. His explaination did nothing for Penny's anger.

"You know, you really are something Sheldon" she said as she headed down the stairs. "Thank you, but I hardly see what that has to do with anything" he said. She shot him another glare and it shut him up, but he followed her down the stairs. "Where are you going?" asked Sheldon. "To an audition, not that it's any of your business Sheldon" Penny snapped. "You shouldn't be so angry at this time. I made sure to not wake you at any time before 11" Sheldon said. Penny gritted her teeth before whirling around on him.

"Leave me alone Sheldon. You've done enough damage don't you think?" she asked before walking out of the apartment building, leaving Sheldon to his confusion. Ever since the date proposal a month ago, Penny had grown more hostile towards Sheldon and Sheldon took notice of her alcohol intake. He would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about her. Heading back up to his apartment, he wondered just where things seemed to change. Once in his apartment, he opened his laptop and started up Skype.

Amy quickly sent a video chat request. "Morning Amy Farah Fowler" said Sheldon, though his pleasant tone was laced with confusion. "Morning Sheldon" she said. "I suppose I should apologize for my actions last night" Amy said. "You were inebriated, things like kissing your best friend tend to happen. Another prime factor as to why I do not drink" Sheldon said. "It would seem my bestie was upset last night and needed a girl's night" Amy said. Sheldon's ears perked up at that and he became more interested in the conversation. "It would seem something that you said bothered her" Amy said, shooting Sheldon a questioning look. "I merely pointed out that she had begun to drink more in the past month and that I was genuinely surprised at her non-inebriated state" Sheldon said simply.

Amy gave him a look, something in his words not matching up. "Was this because she missed Pizza and Vintage Video Game Night?" she asked. "That is precisely the reason. That woman honestly has no regards for other people's established schedules" Sheldon said as Amy nodded. They conversed for a few more moments before Amy had to go to work. Closing the laptop, Sheldon was left to his own devices as Leonard was out with Priya, Howard was with Bernadette and Raj was out doing who knows what.

Something in the pit of his stomach lurched when he thought about his confrontation with Penny this morning. He hated seeing her so mad at him, especially since he had no idea as to why she was mad. Did he say something that he didn't realize was inappropriate in the realm of friendship paradigms? Leonard didn't know any more than he did, and Raj and Howard were out of the question. So that left Sheldon standing in front of his white board with an equation in front of him that he couldn't figure out.

Hours later he heard the door to Penny's apartment open and then close. Something inside told him he should go apologize, but he still didn't know what he did that was wrong. Sighing, he walked over to Penny's door and knocked the usual knock, waiting for her to open the door. When she finally did, she narrowed her green eyes at him and Sheldon froze.

"What is it now Sheldon?" Penny asked, not really wanting to be around Sheldon any longer than she needed to be. Sheldon shifted his weight and began to fidget, his face twitching due to his nervousness and his hands clenched and unclenched as he stumbled for his words. If she wasn't so angry at him, Penny would've thought it to be a bit funny...and, if she were honest with herself, adorable.

"Penny, I wanted to clear a few things up. As it were, you are mad at me for reasons I cannot begin to fathom. I suspect I must've said or done something outside proper friendship protocol which has caused you great distress and for that I do sincerely apologize" said Sheldon, his blue eyes meeting her gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him briefly before shrugging. "Whatever. All's good now Moonpie" she said. The muscles under Sheldon's right eye twitched as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Only my MeeMaw can call me that" he said. Penny grinned before sticking her tongue out and began to close the door when his right arm darted out and kept it open.

They stared in shock at his actions, neither knowing where this came from. "Will you be joining me tonight?" Sheldon asked. Penny shook her head. "What are you talking about?" she questioned. "It is Saturday Penny. Saturday's are always laundry day" said Sheldon. Penny thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Its a date" she said jokingly before closing the door, trying to ignore the skipping of her heartbeat when she mentioned the word 'date'.

It was precisely that word that had caused all this trouble for Sheldon and herself. Had he not asked her out on a date that day, she wouldn't be as she was now. But...she found herself more and more jealous of Amy as each day passed by. But why was she jealous? She never saw Sheldon like that. Sure she thought he was cute, but that was only when his mouth was shut. Whenever he opened his mouth, he seemed to ruin whatever it was that made her even contemplate him as being 'attractive'.

Sheldon didn't know why, but the mention of their weekly laundry nights as being a 'date' made his face turn red. He couldn't explain it but he began to feel nervous. It was the same nervous he felt when he peeked at Penny changing when she slipped and fell in the shower. His heart rate sped up and he checked his pulse, alarmed at the symptoms he was suffering. "I must be getting sick" he muttered to himself before going back onto his laptop, furiously searching for the causes of his reaction.

When 8:15 rolled around, Sheldon was relieved to see Penny down in the laundry room. But after feeling relief, he was suspicious. She was _**never**_ early to laundry night. "Are you sure that you are feeling well?" asked Sheldon. She glared at him but smiled and sat on top of the washer adjacent to his. "Yep!" she said, popping the 'p'. He rose an eyebrow but began to put his clothes into the washers according to color. "Now I may be horrible at telling people's emotions, but I am under the impression that something really wonderful has occured" said Sheldon.

He was correct, or at least he assumed he was because Penny beamed. "I got a call back! I am to be the lead female role in a movie called _'False Pretenses_'!" she exclaimed. Sheldon did not know what to make of her news. "I am not quite sure I know what to do in this situation. Am I supposed to be happy?" asked Sheldon as he was still not used to celebrating other people's successes, especially since the last time he tried to be happy for someone else it ended in him looking like he wanted to kill the Batman. "Yes! I get to be in a movie! My dream is finally getting realized!" Penny squealed, causing Sheldon to recoil.

"I'll be moving to New York for filming in the next few weeks" Penny said quietly, not sure how Sheldon was going to react. She knew he hated change, and knew that whenever Leonard or herself were mad at him and stopped talking to him he almost shut down. Sheldon, though he wasn't very good at showing his feelings, he cared for the two closest people outside of the family and losing them was a thought she was sure never crossed his mind. He wouldn't let them leave, she figured would be his reason.

Sheldon froze in the middle of putting his wet clothes in the dryer, not knowing what to do. "But you cannot leave" Sheldon said, panic coursing through him as his eyes widened and made him look like a deer in headlights. "Sweetie, this is a big moment for me" said Penny. "But you cannot leave" he said again. "Why not?" she asked. "Because you are going to disrupt my schedule and then i'm going to have to go through the hassle of trying to re-write it" said Sheldon. Penny's face dropped. "Really? This is all you can think of? Your schedule?" Penny asked, her tone hurt.

Sheldon just blinked at her. "Well...yeah. Why else would I be bothered?" he asked. Penny hopped off the washer and looked away from him, trying to hide her pain. "I see" she said before walking off, leaving Sheldon to finish his laundry alone. When he was finished and climbed up the stairs to his apartment, he grabbed his Social Interaction composition notebook and wrote something down. He needed to keep a journal of his interactions with Penny, especially now more than ever, due to the fact that something was horrendiously wrong. The paradigm between the two them had shifted into something that neither of them knew what to classify each other as. In the past month Sheldon had gotten sick, but when he asked Penny to sing 'Soft Kitty' to him, she refused.

When she was crying and needed Sheldon's company, he turned his back. When he needed a ride to work because Leonard left early, Penny wouldn't drive him. Sheldon had taken to banishing Penny from his apartment for an entire week because of it. The change between them ws as confusing as it was hurtful. She hardly called him 'sweetie' anymore, never called him 'honey' and the attempts of physical contact had grown sparce. And Sheldon found himself strangely missing all of it.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you once more to the wonderful Jislane for her support! And also to clint bolr and scissorhands101 who added this story to their favorite/alert lists**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I only own my plot and my OC, Marie. However, the OC is not going to be around the whole story. She'll only be placed in situations where I deem needed.**

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><p>Three weeks passed by and Sheldon had not heard a word from Penny. Leonard, Howard, Raj, Amy, and Bernadette asked him every day what had happened the last time he spoke to her, but he found himself strangely without an answer. It took until Thursday of the third week for them to notice her apartment was empty. Not a single trace of Penny was left, now residing there was an vacant space.<p>

Leonard was the first to confront Sheldon. "What happened three weeks ago that Penny decided to move?" he exclaimed. Sheldon looked away from the angry man before him. "I might've neglected to mention a few things about our last encounter" he said softly. "Like what?" asked Leonard. Sheldon sat in his spot, his hands clutching his pants legs like they were a lifeline. His gaze fluttered about the room, never landing on Leonard for a long period of time. '_That her dream finally came true'_ Sheldon wanted to say, but instead what came out of his mouth was. "She decided that her living arrangements here were inadequet so she decided to leave" Sheldon said. Leonard searched Sheldon's face for any twitch that would've given him away. He waited on baited breath for the 'Bazinga!'...but it never came.

His world fell apart and Leonard sunk into the chair next to the couch. "Did...she say where she was moving?" asked Leonard, his voice conveying his broken heart. Sheldon shook his head as he got up and looked outside. There was a soft knock at the door and Sheldon spun around so fast he thought he was going to fall over.

The door opened slowly and in walked Amy. At the sight of his girlfriend, Sheldon released the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding in. She glanced at him and for a moment looked pained. '_But of course she's pained. Her best friend left without so much as a good bye'_ Sheldon thought bitterly. Amy went to hug him and in a split second he took off running out the door, out of the apartment and into the cold weather.

It was cold in New York as Penny walked through the busy streets and into Central Park. It was almost her first week of filming and she was excited to being her breakthrough role. As she walked, she watched couples strolling through the park before finally coming across a playground. With a sad smile, she sat down upon the swing set and gently pushed herself back and forth.

Shoes crunched behind her and she turned to see her a co-star coming towards her. "Hey Marie" said Penny as she swung back and forth gently on the swings. Marie sat beside her. Turning to her co-star, she almost laughed at her state of dress. With just a black and grey striped sweater, Penny wondered if she was cold. But seeing the plaid kilt and black leggings that were covered with knee high Converse shoes, she guessed she probably didn't. Marie pulled her black fuzzy bull hat with red devil horns tighter to her head. "Something bothering you Cali?" asked Marie, a concerned expression on her face.

Penny chuckled. "You know I'm from Omaha originally right?" she asked. "Well duh, but you came here from Cali so your name is Cali" said Marie. "But still, what's on your mind?" she asked. Penny sighed. "Is it that guy back home?" Marie asked. Penny nodded. "The same guy who couldn't be happy for you when you told him the news? The one who caused you to abandon the life you knew and move here, without so much as a word goodbye to your friends?" asked Marie.

Penny let a tear slide down her face as she pulled her coat tighter around her. "Penny...what exactly is your relationship with him?" she asked. "I don't know alright Marie? How am I supposed to know? One minute he'll smile warmly at me, the next he's giving me a backhanded compliment. Then he'll hug me, but then flinch whenever I sit next to him. His girlfriend is my best friend but I find it so difficult to be happy for him" Penny said. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down to see Amy had texted her.

"_Bestie where are you?"_ it read.

Her heart broke at having left everyone with no goodbye. No one, besides Sheldon, knew of her movie role. "How come you never answer their texts?" asked Marie. Penny winced at her question, knowing that she was hiding from the life she left behind. "I don't want them to find me" she said softly. Marie chuckled and patted Penny's shoulder. "They are your friends, the first friends you made since moving to California. Don't you think they deserve to know?" she said. Penny sighed. "You are right" she said as she texted Amy back.

"_Moved to New York. Finally got a role in a movie that's being filmed here. Sorry to make everyone worry. Moving was a last minute idea, you can thank Sheldon for that...but...never mind Bestie, don't worry. Tell the others I'm sorry and that I miss them very much"  
><em>

She put her phone away and began to sob a bit more. Marie smiled warmly at her friend and gave her a hug. "Its ok. Things work out in the end" she said as they stood up and headed back to the apartment they now shared here. "That guy" Marie said as Penny turned to her. "The one who let you go" she said. "He's a freakin' fool". Penny laughed lightly, almost airy and for a moment, she was reminded of Sheldon. Marie looked at her oddly. "What the hell was that?" she asked, an eyebrow raised at her friend's laughter. Penny blushed and looked down at the sidewalk. "Sheldon used to laugh like that all the time, at least at jokes that were funny to everyone else but he completely missed. Its his way of covering up the fact that he didn't understand the joke" she said. Marie gave a knowing smirk, but said nothing as they headed home.

Sheldon walked around Pasadena, trying to clear his head. She left without a goodbye, abandoned the group...abandoned him. He wanted to be mad, but he found he couldn't. He was just hurt. It was a peculiar feeling, and he was at a lose as to how to cope. He was never taught what was protocol for these types of situation, so he was never taught was was social convention. His phone buzzed and he opened it to find a forwarded text from Amy.

"_Moved to New York. Finally got a role in a movie that's being filmed here. Sorry to make everyone worry. Moving was a last minute idea, you can thank Sheldon for that...but...never mind Bestie, don't worry. Tell the others I'm sorry and that I miss them very much"  
><em>

His heart plummeted and he couldn't grasp why. Was it because someone close to him left? He supposed that could've been the reason, it certainly made sense. Or was it that Penny was upset with him? That he was the reason she fled from Pasadena? But the longer he thought the more questions he encountered, all without an answer. He was going to have to write this down in the journal when he returned home.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**** Thank you to all who subscribed to this story. Thank you to dapperyklutz and clint bolr for their reviews and the annoymous review as well. You guys are wonderful, thank you for the support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I only own my plot.**

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><p>It was late when Sheldon returned home. Amy was passed out on the couch and he guessed Leonard had gone to bed. With a silent sigh, he went to his bedroom and grabbed his Social Interactions journal. His blue eyes scanned through his words, trying to figure out where he messed up in the realm of friendship.<p>

_Penny has proposed a proclamation of war.  
><em>

_She is messing with forces beyond her ken  
><em>

_I alerted her to this and she told me that, and I quote, "Well your Ken can kiss my Barbie"  
><em>

_The joke was lost on me  
><em>

And it was true. He really had no clue as to what she was trying to tell him. What did Barbie have to do with control? Flipping to his next entry, he smiled softly when he saw it was about their spaghetti and cut up hot dog dinner.

_Penny and I consumed dinner together tonight  
><em>

_It consisted of spaghetti and cut up hot dogs  
><em>

_It was rather pleasant and I did find myself enjoying it  
><em>

_I gave her a smile tonight. Not a 'Kill the Batman' smile as Leonard has oh so kindly put my forced smile.  
><em>

Sheldon saw no descrpencies between the entires. So it wasn't that far back when he made an error. That thought made his insides burn. He had an IQ of 187, he was a genius, how did he make a mistake? Glancing up from his journal, he remembered when Penny was in his room singing 'Soft Kitty' because he was sick. He remembered when she came to talk to after the failed trip to the Artcic. Warmth spread through his body and he felt his face flush. Was he coming down with a cold? Was he struck with some life threatening disease?

_I asked Penny out on a date.  
><em>

_She accused me of only doing it to get Amy Farah Fowler back  
><em>

_She told me a tale about a guy she used to like  
><em>

_I recall telling her I was 'the guy' and gave her reasons  
><em>

_She told me I wasn't  
><em>

Sheldon slowly realized that ever since this day, this was the start of Penny's change. Was what he did so offensive? Was it not social convention to ask a girl on a date? The knock on his door interrupted his thought process and he looked up to find Amy about to step foot into his room. "People aren't allowed in my room" Sheldon said quickly, causing Amy to take a step back as if she were burned.

"Why did Penny abscond from Pasadena so quickly?" Amy asked. "I researched the factors that could've caused such a reaction and it all seems to come back to the day I asked her out on a date" Sheldon said simply. Amy winced, his words hurting her. "You proposed a date with Penny?" she asked. He nodded. "Yes, shortly before I asked you out" he said. That made Amy hurt more but she tried not to show it. "And she said?" Amy asked. Sheldon tilted his head to the side, the look of confusion written clearly on his face.

"She never truly gave me an answer. All she told me was I was 'not the guy'" he said. Amy nodded sadly and held up a journal in her hand. "Asking permission to enter on the grounds of giving this to you" she said. Sheldon nodded as she entered, dropped the journal on his bed and went back to her previous spot. "Penny left this here. Whether it be on purpose or accidental, I cannot say for sure, but I thought you might want to read it. Good night Sheldon" said Amy as she left his apartment.

With shaking hands, he picked up the journal and began to read it. Maybe this would give him the data he needed to make a correct answer as to where he messed up with Penny. Her friendship meant more to him than she would ever know.

_So it's my first day of my new life in Pasadena. I was lucky enough to meet these two really sweet guys, Leonard and Sheldon. They live across the hall from me. Leonard's sweet but Sheldon...he's adorable. He gave me the sweetest smile when I told him that he was "like one of those beautiful mind genius guys". He gave me that smile too when I sat in his spot, after I told him to sit next to me.  
><em>

But than he actually began to talk. He is so conceited and obnoxious, flaunting his genius everywhere.

Sheldon winced. He didn't know she caught those smiles. His face began to flush once more and he continued to read.

_I started a Prank War with Sheldon today. He was bothering me so I just decided to bother him. He didn't like it too much but I find it rather amusing, watching him sputter and try to regain footing over me. He's cute when he's frustrated.  
><em>

_So I ended up with my underwear on the wire outside my apartment. Safe to say that Sheldon wins this round and I'll think twice about starting prank wars...maybe  
><em>

Sheldon smiled at this. He remembered their prank war.

_I fell in the shower and dislocated my shoulder a few weeks back. I am really lucky to have a friend like Sheldon. He was there to help me get dressed, although he peeked and he copped a feel when he tried to put my shirt on. Despite that, he put aside his dislike for driving and drove me to the hospital. He sang 'Soft Kitty' to me too.  
><em>

He wanted to stop reading but found he couldn't. So he kept reading until he came to newer entries.

_Amy Farah Fowler likes Sheldon. At first I thought their relationship was cute and they were a good couple, but they more they are around each other the more my heart drops. He asked me out on a date, but it was only to get Amy jealous. I didn't want to be apart of that game he was willing to play. He thought he was 'the guy' I was talking about , but he's not...ok...well...maybe he's not. I'm not sure anymore to be honest. Things between us have become so confusing I don't know where we stand anymore. Though he's with Amy, he lets me get away with things that rightfully a girlfriend should be getting away with. He's hugged me more times than he's hugged Amy, he lets me touch him without reprecussion. I know he's not like this with Amy because Amy has spoken to me about.  
><em>

_My heart seems to skip beats around him now. His eyes...have I ever told you how gorgeous they are? They always seem to be sparkling with mischief whenever he speaks. wait...why am I thinking about things like this...? Oh no...  
><em>

Sheldon's eyes widened as he read her journal and saw there was only one last entry left in the journal.

_I'm leaving for New York today. Leave it to Sheldon to ruin it for me. All he cares about is his stupid schedules and how I'm affecting them now. Stupid Sheldon! Why can't he ever be happy for me? Is nothing I do good enough? All I want is for him to be at least semi proud of. that's what a GOOD friend would do.  
><em>

_...and it doesn't help that I am madly in love with this whack-a-doodle...I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner...but it's ok because no matter what he won't reciprocate. Yep, him and the others have officially rubbed off on me. He's got Amy, and I hope they are happy  
><em>

Sheldon could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He licked his lips and clenched and unclenched his hands. Penny...loved him. His face twitched as the information sunk in. His best friend, the one who sung him 'Soft Kitty' when he was sick, his girlfriend's best friend...loved him. Now why was his heart beating out of control? Was he sick? Was this why he felt feverish? Grabbing his phone, he hastily called Leonard.

"Sheldon, it's 3 in the morning. I really hope this is important" said a very tired Leonard. "Leonard how could you possibly be sleeping at a time like this when I am facing an expential crisis and all you can say is ' I really hope this is important'!" he said, his voice reaching squeaking decibles. Leonard glared at his ceiling, wondering just what the hell his roommate could possibly want at this time of the morning. "I was flipping through Penny's journal-" Sheldon's voice said from the other side of the phone. "You did what now?" exclaimed Leonard, both shocked and apalled at his friends' lack of respect for one's privacy.

"I was looking through her journal Leonard, you should really listen more. Even an inadequet scientist like you should be able to keep up with such simple speech" Sheldon said. "I understood what you said. I was wondering why you did that" Leonard said. "Oh. well then why didn't you just say that?" asked Sheldon. Leonard rubbed his temples, not knowing what to do with his friend. "Look, just continue on with what you were saying" said Leonard. "Oh yes. So I was looking through her journal and came across a piece of data that didn't sit well with me. For some reason, I cannot draw any hypothesis as to where it came from, what is supposed to prove, or what I am to do with it" said Sheldon.

Leonard blinked and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes. "Right, well, Sheldon you are trying to tell me that you are having some sort of issue with an equation?" asked Leonard. "That's precisely what I am talking about Leonard! Now under appropriate normal circumstances I wouldn't stoop so far as to ask you for help, but I am confused" said Sheldon. Leonard bit back a comment Sheldon's rude statement, hoping to get off the phone before five in the morning. "What's wrong Sheldon? I need to sleep, I've got work in the morning" whined Leonard.

A moment of silence passed.

Then another passed.

Leonard was beginning to believe that Sheldon forgot what he wanted to say.

Then he realized Sheldon _**never**_ forgets.

Another moment.

A deep sigh from the other line.

"Penny's in love with me".

And the sound of Leonard's phone dropping to the floor met Sheldon's ears.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the favorite/alerts everyone! And thank you to stock2007, MD4evaOLTL, and Jislane for their wonderful reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoy my story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT, all I own is my plot**

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><p>"What do you mean Penny's in love with you?" Leonard screeched after recovering from his shock. Sheldon stared down at the journal on his bed. What did he mean? Why was his heart hastening its beating? He couldn't help but think he was sick. "I do not know how to make this any clearer to you Leonard. Penny harbors affections for me" said Sheldon.<p>

"How? Why?" Leonard sputtered, trying to wrap his head around the idea. Sheldon groaned and threw his arms up in the air. "How should I know? You think that I actually paid any attention to her?" said Sheldon. "Of course you did Sheldon! You were always quick to rush to her side when she needed someone" Leonard spat as he finally got out of bed to make himself coffee. He had no idea why him and Sheldon were conversing on their phones when they were in the apartment, but he decided not to question Sheldon on it.

"That was following friendship protocol" Sheldon said. "Bullshit Sheldon. You were always, _**always**_, giving her looks you never gave anyone else. Remember when she got addicted to Age of Conan because of you? You said you tried to get her to leave you alone, going as far as to use Twitter and Facebok, but yet when she showed up to ask for your help, you smiled. YOU GENINUELY SMILED!" Leonard exclaimed.

"No need to yell Leonard" said Sheldon. "No there is reason to yell! I'm in love with a girl who is in love with my best friend! Do you have any idea of how messed up this?...who am I kidding? Of course you don't understand how messed up this whole paradigm shift is" said Leonard who slumped into a chair. "Or what about when I started working nights and Penny needed to drive you to work? She told me that you tried to play games with her, you actually wanted to be closer to her" Leonard said. He could faintly hear the scratching of a pen on paper.

"Fascinating" said Sheldon once the pen on paper sounds stopped. "Don't give me that Sheldon! You are with Amy and not once have I seen you act the way are with Penny. You used to claim that Penny and I's relationship was a sham, but what of you and Amy?" Leonard snapped, not restraining his hurt and anger anymore. "Me and Amy Farrah Fowler's relationship isn't a hoax, poppycock if you will" Sheldon said. "Yes it is! You won't touch her, you refuse to let her sing 'Soft Kitty' to you, she can't take care of you. Do you not see that your GIRLFRIEND is second to a friend? How selfish could you possibly be Sheldon?" said Leonard.

He felt bad for yelling at Sheldon, he really did, but his heart had shattered to know that the girl he had loved since day one was in love with his best friend. So maybe Leonard had messed up with their relationship, maybe he was a jerk at times, but Sheldon was conceited and looked down on everyone around him. '_But he stayed with her in her times of need'_ that nagging voice on the inside of his head told him. He sighed and tried to block it out, but he knew it was right. Sheldon was there for Penny when he himself never was. With his limited understanding of the dynamics of friendship, his awkward way of consoling people, his way too thought out responses, Sheldon had wormed his way into Penny's heart.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Leonard began to finally accept what he had been trying to deny all these years. Penny may have fought with Sheldon constantly, bothered him with her own idiosyncrensies, and messed with his, she was the person Sheldon trusted the most. She had long surpassed him on the friendship scale, with his actions at the Artic Leonard wasn't surprised. He knew he betrayed Sheldon's trust that day, but he was so jealous to know that, though Sheldon never mentioned it outright, he had missed Penny. All that time Leonard was being selfish, wanting her for his own. But he knew, at least now he did, that Penny wasn't a prize to win. She wasn't property of anyone. Penny was Penny and that was exactly how Sheldon saw her.

"I suppose you may be right Leonard" Sheldon's voice came from behind him. Leonard jumped up and whirled around to see Sheldon in his robe, staring at him. His blue eyes were watery and Leonard feared he was going to cry. "It hurts Leonard. The symptoms caused by this revelation cause me to panic. My heart is skipping beats, my breathing isn't normal. I feel flushed and it is as if the walls are closing in on me. I want to abscond, to get away from all of it" Sheldon said as he sat down in his spot, his eyes lingering on the couch cushion beside him, the spot usually reserved for Penny.

"What is wrong with me Leonard? Am I going into cardiac arrest? Or perhaps it is some deadly illness that we haven't discovered yet" Sheldon said, his voice full of panic and rising octaves as he spoke. Leonard tried not to laugh at Sheldon's words. Leave it to Sheldon to mistake the feeling of falling in love with an illness. "My REM schedules are disruppted and I find it difficult to concentrate. How am I to win the Nobel Prize if I cannot focus?" exclaimed Sheldon as his hands clenched around his pajama bottoms.

"I can't believe I'm asking this, especially to you of all people, but...Sheldon, do you...possibly have feelings for Penny?" Leonard asked. Sheldon stopped, mid-tirade and stared at Leonard. He could tell, judging by the look in Sheldon's eyes, that the thought hadn't crossed his mind. But, as Leonard had observed, at the mention of Penny, Sheldon's eyes had begun to dilate. The stabbing in his heart dulled and his anger began to fade.

"What?" asked Sheldon. Leonard rose to his feet and stared at his friend. "I think you might be in love with Penny Sheldon" said Leonard as he headed back to bed. Sheldon sat in his spot, frozen in time as he contemplated the words Leonard had spoken. In a flash Sheldon was out of his spot and on his lap top. There was one person who knew the feelings of love, one person who could help him, but it was one person who was still mad at him.

As he opened up Skype, he saw Penny's name online. Hovering over her name, Sheldon hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to contact her, not after knowing what he knew. Luckily Amy saved him from his dilemma.

"Hello Sheldon" she said as a video call was started. "Hello Amy Farrah Fowler" Sheldon said. Amy smiled sadly at him, the sight of him alerting her to his distress. His hair was disheveled from running his hands through it numerous times, his face twitched here and there from nervousness, he fidgeted with his pajamas. "Am I correct in assuming you read Penny's diary in its completion?" Amy asked. Sheldon nodded shyly and tried to avoid her gaze. "I've already read it prior to giving it to you" she said. Sheldon's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something when Amy put her hand up.

"Sheldon, I knew that this would happen. You may not have noticed it, but everyone and myself saw it. Penny encompasses your world, she's as important to you as your work is. I could never take her place. If you didn't realize, every time I've wanted contact with you of the physical nature I had to go through the process of bargining with you while Penny you would touch without a second thought. You hugged her more times than you ever hugged me, which by the way is a grand total of zero" said Amy.

Sheldon winced and went to say something but she again silenced him. "I was fooling myself into thinking that our relationship meant something. I could see how you were with Penny, even if you and Penny couldn't. You settled for me Sheldon. Your heart isn't in our relationship, and when we kissed the first time, it wasn't me you were thinking about kissing. If you weren't thinking about Penny, then you wouldn't have kissed me back" Amy said. "And, though we are so much alike, that is also the most likely reasoning for us not working out. Though I am hurt, Penny is my bestie. I want her to have the best. And...didn't you once tell her that she would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend?" Amy said.

"So this is the end of things Amy Farrah Fowler?" Sheldon asked, his voice cracking. Amy nodded. "Contract terminated as of now. Still friends?" she asked. Sheldon nodded and they said goodbye, closing out their conversations. His nervous ticks grew worse as he hovered over Penny's Skype name. Clicking on it, he swallowed and waited for her to pick up.

When the video call connected, he was surprised to find another woman staring at him. Her amber eyes were narrowed dangerously at him, the smokey black makeup on her eyes making her glare more intense. "Who are you?" Sheldon asked rather rudely. "I'm Marie, Penny's friend" said Marie with a sharp tone. "Why are you on her computer? I want to talk to Penny" said Sheldon. "She doesn't want to talk to you" said Marie. "But I want to talk to her" Sheldon said.

Marie smirked and Sheldon feared for his life for a moment. "And this is coming from the guy who made her leave the life she had grown to love? The guy who made her doubt her worth to her group of friends? Why should I let you talk to her?" Marie asked. Sheldon narrowed his eyes at Marie, as if silently warning her of the impending danger if she continued to talk. "Let me speak to Penny" he said as his ticks were set off. "No" Marie said simply. Sheldon went to say something but Marie glared at him, shutting him up in the process.

"You hurt her you know? You were the closest friend she had in Pasadena and you found every chance to spit on her dreams" said Marie. "You know, her dreams were a statistical impossibility" Sheldon said as Marie bared her teeth at him. "Then you don't need to speak to her if you feel like that" she said. "Let me talk to Penny. I want to talk to Penny" Sheldon said. "When you learn to value her, then I'll let you talk to her" she said. Sheldon hung up and went to Leonard's room.

"Leonard!" he called out. Leonard opened the door and glared at him. "What now?" he exclaimed angrily. "Penny's friend wouldn't let me speak to her" said Sheldon. "That's nice, I really don't care. I said my piece, now let me sleep" Leonard said as he slammed the door. Sheldon flinched and shuffled awkwardly to his room. He looked at the journal on his bed, his gaze locking on a piece of paper that was sticking out the notebook.

Picking it up gently, he saw it was a message to him. A message that was meant for his eyes. "_What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you? What am I suppose to say when I'm all choked up and your ok? I'm falling to pieces. Did you know that when a heart breaks that it doesn't break even?"_ Sheldon read softly to himself. His heart plummeted and he found himself in pain again. Was Leonard correct? Did he affections for the blonde woman who had been a thorn in his side since they met? Sheldon shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day, but for now his questions still had no answers and he felt more lost than he did before.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed it!<strong> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thanks so much to all the reviews and the favorites. You guys make me love writing this story! Thank you to dapperyklutz, MD4evaOLTL, and Jislane for their wonderful reviews! It means a lot to me guys! And I'm glad you got where Penny's message to Sheldon came from dapperyklutz!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I only own my plot and my character, Marie.**

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><p>"Who were you talking to?" Penny asked, coming out the bathroom. Marie wiped the smirk off her face before turning to her friend. "That guy of yours" she said with venom in her words. "Sheldon?" Penny exclaimed. Marie nodded and Penny tried to find the words to speak but found she was rendered mute.<p>

"If he cannot accept you have dreams, why would you want him around?" Marie said, crossing her arms. "Because...I love him Marie" Penny finally said. "But he's a major asshole!" she cried out. "He isn't always that bad. There was a time where I had fallen in the shower and dislocated my shoulder. He came to help me, tried to dress me, and despite his dislike of driving and the lack of ability to, he drove me to the hospital. He took care of me Marie...when no one else would" Penny said softly.

Marie rose an eyebrow. This was her first time hearing these tales. The only tales she ever told her about when she first met her were basic stories involving them and their friends. But now she was getting the personal stories, the ones she could see were very near and dear to Penny's heart. "He didn't have to take care of me Marie and I know he would've rather been off playing some silly game or working on his calculations. But he stayed with me the whole day. I don't think I ever enjoyed his presence more Marie" Penny said as she plopped down on the couch.

"Then there was another time where I had to drive him to work because Leonard was too tired to do so. He woke me up before 11 in the morning and needed to be driven around. I was mad at him, after all it was my day off and I didn't want to be out of bed so freakin' early" Penny said with a smile. Marie could tell she was enjoying reliving those moments and she found herself learning more about her friend and her friends' friends. "The whole ride he tried telling me what roads to take, that I needed to check my engine soon, but then he also tried to include me in games he would play with Leonard on their way to work" Penny said.

"I'm guessing you didn't get them did you?" asked Marie. Penny shook h  
>er head with a laugh. "Hell no! But, even though I was tired and grumpy, I still found myself trying to make heads and tails of his words. What surprised me was he was trying. He wanted me to feel included" said Penny. "Just like when Leonard tried dating Leslie Winkle again. Though we didn't really spend a lot of time with me, he allowed me to sit next to him on the steps while he played Mario on his laptop" she said with a chuckle.<p>

"I used to get so mad at him. He always spoke in well thought out sentences that used big words to explain the tiniest thing. It used to make me feel so dumb because I couldn't keep up with him. He put me down for it to" said Penny as her chuckles died down. "He's a jerk" said Marie. Penny shook her head sadly. "No. He's Sheldon. He's detached and scientific and often will give you a backhanded compliment, but...its how he motivates you to work harder" she said quietly. "He's bad at picking up sarcasm, yet good at using it. He's bad at comforting people, but good at being there for friends" Penny said. "He's so confusing! How did you ever put up with him?" asked Marie.

Penny smiled sadly. "I couldn't at first. But the more I was around him, the more I saw myself catching onto his idiosychronsies. He ate certain meals on certain days, wore certain clothes on certain days. His whole life was scheduled and the only time he ever broke from his routine was...if it concerned me" she said, her sentence dying off near the end. She got up and looked through her Hello Kitty bag. Her searching became frenzied and Marie rose an eyebrow at her. "What's up?" she asked. "My journal is missing" Penny said, her eyes wide. "So? It's a journal" Marie said, shrugging. "I left a confession in there Marie! Oh my god...if I don't have it that means that...HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER! Sheldon...he has my journal" she said, her nostalgic mood dying as the panic set in.

The sound of a video call coming through cut through the tension as Penny's eyes locked onto her laptop. Rushing over she was relieved to find that it was only Amy calling. Accepting the call, she was about to smile until she saw the downtrodden face of her best friend. "Hey Amy, what's wrong?" she asked. "Sheldon and I have terminated the Relationship Agreement this morning" she said with a sniffle. Penny's heart dropped and she cursed inwardly. "Tell your bestie what's wrong" Penny said as she sat down. Amy was silent for awhile before she spoke up. "I found your journal" she said. "Where?" Penny exclaimed, hoping that it had not ended up in Sheldon's hands. "My deductive reasoning points that you most likely left it on the island in your apartment, as you were hastily packing to leave without so much as a farewell due to the arguement you had with Sheldon" Amy said.

"Sheldon has also read the journal" Amy included. "Frak!" Penny exclaimed as she put her face in her hands. Amy was confused at her friends' response. "Is this not a joyous occasion?" Amy asked. "NO!" Penny exclaimed before calming down. "Don't you see Amy? My journal cost you your relationship with Sheldon. It was never meant to be in his hands, or for others to see. I wanted my feelings to stay with me because I knew everyone was happy with who they were with" Penny said.

"But Sheldon and I...our relationship was a social experiment" Amy said. Penny looked at the screen. "What?" she asked. Amy chuckled at her friend and tried to keep her sadness at bay. "Penny are you so blind as to have missed the signs Sheldon has been giving you?" she asked. "What signs?" Penny asked. "Oh...then I suppose you are that blind" Amy said. Though it was mean to say, and though she didn't want to admit it, Penny knew Amy was right. "But you are hurting" said Penny. Amy shrugged. "I suppose I'll look for another date from Stuart. It was too obvious that I wasn't really the person Sheldon wanted to date anyway" she said. Penny sighed but then it finally hit her what Amy was saying. "Wait...Amy...are you trying to tell me..." she said. "Sheldon Cooper has affections for you Penny" she said.

Penny couldn't believe it...it had to be a joke. "Well...it was nice to speak to you again Bestie. Please...don't be a stranger anymore. And...come back home soon" said Amy as she gave one last sad look to her friend, which Penny now realized was because she missed Penny and their friendship not because Sheldon was gone. "I promise that when I'm on my flight home to Pasadena you'll be the first to know" she said. "Second" Amy said with a knowing grin. Penny was confused but said goodbye.

"Oh man...my journal is in Pasadena" Penny muttered to herself. "Want to go get it once filming is done?" Marie asked. Penny sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know Marie" she said. Marie just shrugged and went to her laptop, looking down at the screen where she had recorded her whole conversation with Penny up until this point. With a smirk, she typed away and sent the recording.

Miles away in Pasadena, Sheldon was sitting at his laptop wondering if he should try contacting Penny. He just couldn't summon the courage to click on the video call option on Skype. His heart was beating wildly out of his chest and he thought he was growing faint. These feelings were way too severe for it to be anything but an illness. Clenching and unclenching his hands, he briefly wondered what would happen if he ever managed to speak to Penny. Would she hate him? Would she be mad at him? He quickly reasoned that of course she would be mad at him. He did send her away after all.

With a sigh, he went to get up from his chair when he saw a message from an unknown person on Skype. Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, he hesitantly clicked the file and soon he was met with the sound of Penny talking. He heard another voice talking to her and it all clicked in his head. "Marie" he all but growled out until he focused on Penny's words. She had been talking about the times she spent alone with him and he found himself struggling with the urge to hug her. What about illnesses? He couldn't forget about those. But his heart told him that for Penny, it would be worth getting sick.

Just like on Christmas. His heart flipped at the memory as he found himself submerged in a memory of that day. She had given him the best gift he could've ever recieved, it had been a napkin that was signed by Leonard Nimoy and also had some of his DNA. In return, Sheldon had hugged her and given her so many gift baskets for her that she was still working through all the soap. Looking at his white board, he gazed at the equation on the board.

Moments went by and he was still without an answer. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. He couldn't even identify what it was he was feeling. Sheldon was lost and he didn't want to call Missy and ask for her help. She would only tease him and right now he wasn't sure he could handle it. His blue eyes landed on a typed message under the file.

"_**You are running out of time. Get to her before its too late"  
><strong>_

Without another thought, Sheldon picked up his phone and frantically dialed Missy's number. " Hello?" came the familar voice of his twin. With a sigh, he tried not to let his pride get in the way. "Hello Missy" he said. He could hear her laughter over the other line and he began to miss her. " well I'll be. If it ain't Shelly callin'" she said with a teasing tone. "To what do I give the honor of bein' blessed with a call from ya?" Missy asked. His nervous ticks were set off and he tried to compose himself. There was that fever again, and now his hands felt clammy.

"I am requesting assitance" he said. "A'right. Now what's botherin' you Shelly?" asked Missy. He was positive he was sick because now he was beginning to perspire. "I am feverish, my hands are clammy, my heart is racing uncontrollably, my breathing is irratic, I cannot sleep, my schedules have been interupted and I find myself thinking more and more of Penny" Sheldon said in one breath. Missy was silent for a few moments before he could hear her practically beaming on the other end. "Shelly do you really mean what ya are sayin'?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, now get on with it woman! What is wrong with me? Am I going to die? Because I feel sickly" Sheldon said. "No you ain't gonna die Shelly! Oh is Momma gonna be happy! And Meemaw as well! Her little Moonpie is grown up now" said Shelly. Sheldon was beginning to grow impatient. "What's wrong with me?" he cried out.

"You are in love Shelly. You are in love with Penny, and I suspect you've always been in love with that girl. I liked her, she was sweet" said Missy as Sheldon sat there. He couldn't move, he would've forgotten to breath if it weren't crucial for survival. "I...am in love with Penny?" he asked, not believing the words that came out of his mouth. "I reckon so. Because you are showing all the signs of it Shelly" said Missy with a smile. "When did this happen?" Sheldon muttered. "Shelly, love comes unexpectedly. You cannot plan it, you cannot predict it. It'll take you by surprise" she said.

"Have you told her?" Missy asked. Sheldon froze, scared to tell his sister what had happened weeks ago. "Shelly?" asked Missy. "No" he said quietly. "And why the heck not? Don't ya think she'd be wantin' to hear that?" she exclaimed. "There was an altercation weeks past that made her leave Pasadena and move to New York" he said. "What did ya do this time Shelly?" Missy all but screeched. Sheldon shrunk away from the phone, not really wanting to admit to his sister that he had messed up. "As you know, Penny wanted to be an actress. But in all her time here in Pasadena she has been an awful failure at it. So when she finally landed a major role, she informed me of it and where the location of the filming would be" Sheldon said. "And?" asked Missy. Sheldon swallowed and looked at the floor. "I reminded her that she would be disrupting my schedule and that I would not stand for it" he said.

"Shelly you didn't" said Missy. "I regret to inform you that I did. I told her that it was the only reason why I was bothered by her leaving" Sheldon said. "Sheldon Lee Cooper you get your butt on the next plane and you go tell this girl that you are in love with her or so help me, I'll tell Meemaw" Missy threatened. His heart dropped more and he shook his head though he knew she couldn't see it. "But I cannot take planes" he said.

"I will get you through the airport damn it. But ya need to tell her! Otherwise you are gonna lose a great girl" said Missy. He was silent again before he spoke up. "I cleaned her apartment many different times. I ate dinner with her when her and Leonard broke up. I took care of her when she hurt herself in the shower. I drove her to the hospital Missy! I spent hours making Penny Blossoms with her. I taught her how to play Age of Conan. We spend laundry night together. She plays Halo with us on Halo night. She also plays paintball with us. She knows all my habits and is considerate of them. She sings 'Soft Kitty' to me when I'm sick" Sheldon said as he listed off all the things Penny has done for him and all the things he has done for her.

Missy laughed. "Shelly...you got it bad for this here girl. Don't lose her" she said. Sheldon nodded and began typing away on his computer. "You best be gettin' airplane tickets" She said to him. "I am" said Sheldon. On the opposite line, in Texas, Missy smiled to herself as she listened to her brother hasten his typing. She had known that Penny had been something special to her brother. He never broke his 'no contact' rule for anyone besides family, nor would he willy nilly clean someone's apartment for them. He was a clean freak, but not that bad. She turned to her mother and gave her a thumbs up. Mrs. Cooper was relieved and went to go call Meemaw to tell her the good news.

"I shall be departing tonight to go to New York to find her" said Sheldon, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "You'll be fine Shelly. Just remember...you've overcome your fears for her before. You know her, and you know where you stand with her".

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: So many reviews and favorites/alerts! Thank you to everyone! And thank you to Beth, who suggested that I make the story a bit easier to read by separating the conversations so its not a kerjumbled mess. I hope it's easier to read now Beth! Thank you for your support**

**And of course, thank you to my other reviewers: BreathlessFaith, stock2007, scissorhands101, dapperyklutz, and Jislane! Without you guys and your support this story wouldn't be what it is. Thank you for the continued support, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I only own my plot and Marie**

* * *

><p>When Sheldon alerted Leonard to his plans, Leonard thought for sure that Hell had frozen over. He sputtered and tripped over his words as he watched Sheldon hastily pack a bag. He was going to be well prepared for anything and Sheldon couldn't deny that he was nervous. His revalation last night with Missy's help made him view his past interactions with Penny in a different light. And he began to question himself as to how he had been so blind to her flirting when he was so in tune with her.<p>

"Are you sure you are ready to do this?" Leonard asked, not really knowing what had happened over the course of the night that made Sheldon so determined.

"Leonard I am fully prepared for all possible outcomes" said Sheldon, though he missed the look Leonard gave him. Leonard doubted he really knew what to do in a situation like this, all he knew was that Missy told him to tell Penny how he felt.

"And what are you going to do when you meet her?" said Leonard with his arms crossed. Sheldon opened his mouth to retort, but then quickly shut it and settled for a glare.

"I did not think of that" he said simply and Leonard sighed. It was rather early in the morning and Leonard was gently sipping his coffee, watching Sheldon scurry about looking frantic and his lanky limbs flailing about awkwardly. He wondered just how Sheldon was going to manage in New York, knowing how scared he was of germs and physicial contact. But a voice inside told him that 'love is why he'll do it'.

After quadruple checking his list, Sheldon put on his beige and brown windbreaker, opened the door, and turned to Leonard. He was giving him an expectant look that took Leonard a few moments to decipher.

"Oh right. You need a ride" Leonard muttered to himself as he went and got dressed before heading downstairs with Sheldon. It was surprisingly quiet until the doors to the car closed and then Leonard found himself subjected to the torture that was the nervous ramblings of Sheldon Cooper.

"What if the airport loses my luggage and then it gets contaminated which leads to a life threatening illness?" Sheldon said, panicking as his eyes widened. Leonard inwardly groaned, regretting having to drive him to the airport because now it would be another two hours before he was going to be rid of Sheldon.

"You are not going to contract some disease" Leonard said as he made the turn onto the highway. The only thing that was going to be keeping him sane this whole ride would be the fact that when he returned home from the airport, Leonard would have a moments peace from Sheldon.

"Can you prove that?" he asked snidely. Leonard sighed and resisted the urge to slam on the breaks and tell Sheldon to walk. He could now see why Penny had done exactly that the day he left her to drive Sheldon to work. Leonard told himself he needed to make a mental note to thank her for that.

Sheldon began to fidget with his seat belt strap, his eyes scanning all over the car before landing on the scenary outside his window. Leonard knew that this was going to be a huge step for Sheldon. Everything about him fought against this but he was making sacrifices for Penny. This thought didn't seem odd to Leonard, in fact, he was quite proud of Sheldon.

"I tried researching situations likes the one I have found myself in but there isn't substantial evidence to form a conclusion. What am I to do Leonard? I have never found myself in a situation like this" said Sheldon. As they continued their drive down the highway, Leonard thought about what to do.

"Wouldn't it be funny if she was on a flight to Pasadena while you were on your flight to New York?" joked Leonard as he snorted and gave his nervous chuckle. Sheldon just blinked at him, not getting what he was trying to say.

"Leonard are you telling me that it is normal for one to head to a place that the person they wish to see is while they other one is heading to their place of residence?" asked Sheldon, his eyes cold and calculated.

"Well...you never spoke to her before you left so I suppose that it could be possible. But the probability of that is rather slim Sheldon. You seem to forget she's in the middle of filming" said Leonard as Sheldon began to calm down, realizing that what Leonard had said was in fact truth.

"What if I mess this up?" Sheldon said after a moment of silence. Leonard laughed and shook his head. Sheldon was unbelievable but at least he understood that he knew next to nothing about relationships.

"I have no doubt you will mess things up" said Leonard as Sheldon glared at him. "Let me finish Sheldon. You are going to mess up because your knowledge of relationships is minimal at best. But you've messed up so many times with Penny before but your relationship with her has never taken any serious damage. It rebounds off you guys and you both always fix what is wrong" Leonard said as Sheldon visably relaxed.

When they finally made it to the airport, Sheldon said good bye to Leonard and boarded the plane, but not without an arguement with the people behind the boarding desks that told him that he was on a 'No Boarding' list due to his actions in the past. It took a phone call from Missy, who happened to have a friend who worked for this particular airline, to explain the situation to them. They allowed him on the plane, but not without telling Missy she was going to be held accountable for his actions should he act up.

Sheldon, after being seated on the plane and taking the seat next to the aisle, stopped caring about being on a plane and began to worry about what he would say to Penny, what he would do, what he would act like. He was nervous and fidgety, he couldn't sit still and people gave him odd looks as he adjusted himself in his seat for the tenth time in fifteen minutes. He couldn't concentrate even though he tried to list off the whole Periodic Table of Elements in his head.

What Leonard said had come back to him as the flight took off. He may have been oblivious about most things, choosing not to acknowledge them for the simple fact that they weren't important, but he always noticed that no matter how much he aggravated Penny, no matter how hurt she was by his words, they never really hated each other. They never stopped talking completely and this had been the first severe consecquence of their fighting. Sheldon swallowed as he clenched and unclenched his hands, hoping that his nervous ticks would stop.

The woman beside him rose an eyebrow and smiled. "First time flyer?" she asked him as he turned to look at her.

"I hate planes. They are rather unsafe and the prospect of hurtling towards Earth from this altitude does not appeal to me" Sheldon said, gulping down his water. The woman laughed and shook her head.

"Than why are you flying?" she asked. The man beside her was an interesting fellow. He had a Green Lanturn shirt on with a solid blue undershirt that was pushed up to his elbows to show off his forearms. Black khakis adorned his pants and his socks were striped and oddly colored. She smiled and again shook her head.

"I'm going to visit someone" Sheldon said, his voice cracking and becoming more of a squeak. The woman beside him handed him an unopened bottle of water and began to wipe it down with a disinfectant wipe. It was only than did Sheldon accept the bottle from her, deeming it clean enough for him to drink.

"They must be really special if you are putting aside your fear of planes for them" said the woman as she proceeded to do her crossword problem.

"She is" Sheldon said softly, his voice almost a whisper on the wind. The woman shot him a knowing smile and put down her crossword.

"Distance cannot keep two people apart who are meant to be together" said the woman just as softly. Sheldon looked at her oddly but saw she was back to doing her crossword. He was bothered by what she said, but it also warmed his heart to hear it.

* * *

><p>Penny sat around her apartment sipping her water as Marie was playing Dance Dance Revolution on the playstation.<p>

"I cannot believe you are done with filming already Cali" said Marie as she danced.

"Well though it was my breakthrough role, my character was a minor character" said Penny.

"Yeah that's true but still" said Marie as she finished her song and sipped from the Mountain Dew bottle on the tv stand. Turning back to Penny, she put her hand on her hip. Penny always had to laugh at Marie's style, it was interesting and she almost wished she could dress like that.

Marie decided that today she was going to be dressed in a black and grey shiny shirt that was under a tanktop that had the words 'We Are Wonderholic' on it. She wore shiny, fake leather shorts and black and white vans. Her pants had a black stuffed bunny tied to them. Penny often wondered just what the hell 'We Are Wonderholic' meant, but she decided she wasn't going to ask anymore.

"So what are you going to do now?" asked Marie as she flopped onto the couch and put her feet up on the table. Penny rememebered all the times Sheldon got mad at her for doing just that, and the time he tried to condition her with chocolate. Penny surpressed a shudder as she called the faint memory of his fingers brushing across her lips as he slid a piece of chocolate into her mouth.

"I don't know. I am afraid to go back to Pasadena, I mean Sheldon's still probably mad at me" said Penny as she sighed.

Marie grinned and shook her head. "Nope. He isn't" she said. Penny was confused but said nothing about it. Picking up her laptop, Marie went onto Facebook and saw Leonard was on. After her conversation with Penny about her memories with Sheldon, Marie had added everyone on Facebook with a plan in mind. She was about to IM Leonard when he struck up conversation with her, already knowing about her plans.

_"Sheldon's on his way"_

_"Good. Because I get the feeling that Penny isn't about to leave NY without some proof that Sheldon isn't mad at her"  
><em>

_"Wait until she finds out he's in love with her"_

_"So its true than. He does love her"_

_"Yeah, the robotic Sheldon Cooper does in fact love Penny"_

_"How are you taking that?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Penny told me all about your history with her. How are you handling Sheldon loving her and pursuing her? Isn't that against part of the Bro code?"_

Leonard was silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. What could he say? He was hurt that his chances with Penny have ended but he found that he couldn't really be angry. He had always thought that Penny felt something more towards Sheldon, but he never believed it.

"_They have my blessing"  
><em>

_"Good. I'd hate to see a promising couple fall through because of a friend's jealousy"  
><em>

_"What is the next part of the plan?"_

_"As you know the first part was to get Sheldon to come to Penny. The next part is for Sheldon to return with Penny. You'll be surprised that, even with the addition of the words 'boyfriend/girlfriend', things between them haven't changed all that much. But my plan is really just to get Penny to realize that she is needed in Pasadena. She's a great actress and a wonderful friend, but she's been depressed since she arrived here"  
><em>

_"So you are basically playing 'MatchMaker'"_

_"Yep yep!"  
><em>

Marie shut off her laptop when Penny stared at her oddly, wondering just what the hell she had been doing that was so important.

"What was that?" questioned Penny. Marie grinned and dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

"Don't worry about it" said Marie. Now Penny was concerned. Marie had a bit of a mischievous streak in her and was often planning pranks to get back at people. It reminded her a lot of Sheldon. Licking her lips, she stopped halfway and realized she had picked up yet another of Sheldon's mannerisms.

"Why didn't you tell me I acted like Sheldon?" Penny cried out, realizing just how much she missed that lanky scientist.

Marie shrugged and looked away. "Never asked" she said as Penny threw a pillow at her.

A moment of silence passed and Marie turned back to Penny.

"Let's go to Central Park!"

* * *

><p>Sheldon got off the plane after it landed and collected his bag. Part of him was angry that he had been stuck on a plane, another part of him was annoyed that he had to leave his safety bubble that worked in his schedule, but the biggest part of him was missing Penny.<p>

Now that he was in NY, he didn't know what to do or where to go. Leonard had told him that if he wanted to make amends with Penny, he was going to have to talk to her. But he didn't want to. He was afraid to. But glancing at his cell phone, with his thumb over the 'Send' button and her number on the screen, he decided he spent enough time fearing what would happen.

He waited as the dial sounds played in his ear until he heard someone pick up. "Sheldon?" asked a breathless Penny.

It was as if she had been frantically trying to find her phone and than frantically debating to herself whether she was to answer the phone. "Hello Penny" said Sheldon as he felt his face flush. Was Missy sure he wasn't sick? He still thinks that he is sick. Is love a sickness? Should he ask Penny to sing him 'Soft Kitty'?

"Oh hey...what's up?" she asked awkwardly. It was as if she really didn't know where she stood with him. She was waiting for him to berate her for leaving, Sheldon surmised. He took a deep breath and made his way through Central Park. In his head, he made a note to _never_ take a taxi ever again.

"I was hoping you would like to partake in an activity with me" he said as he wandered through Central Park until he came to Alice In Wonderland statues. There were two women sititng with their backs to him near the statues.

"Uh...Sheldon...honey I'm in New York" said Penny as she bit her lip at his request. Since hearing his voice, her feelings were threatening to overflow. Her heart was beating wildly and Marie was scanning the area for...something, someone.

"I know that Penny. I have an IQ of 187, don't you think I would have taken that into consideration? I was merely asking you if you would like to do something with me" said Sheldon as he sighed at her rather redundant statement.

"How? I'm in NY, you are in Pasadena" said Penny, almost hissing through her teeth. She was met with that breathy laughter of Sheldon's and she realized that she missed it.

"I am not in Pasadena Penny. Currently I am in a park that has statues depicting Alice in Wonderland. Did you know that -" Sheldon started but he heard her drop her phone.

In his line of sight, he saw the two women by the statues jump up and the blonde haired one turned around. She was searching for someone and Sheldon almost hid until her green eyes locked onto him and caused him to stay frozen to the spot.

* * *

><p>Penny heard that and jumped up, looking for Sheldon. He was here, in NY, looking for her. All of these things made her wonder briefly what he was playing at, but decided she had missed him for too long to really care. Her eyes came to land on a tall lanky man who was wearing a horrible beige and brown windbreaker over a Green Lantern shirt and black khakis. Her eyes met his and in a flash, she bolted towards him.<p>

She didn't care that he hated physical contact, she didn't care about his personal space. In a moment her arms were around his neck and she was embracing him. Sheldon took a step back from the force with which she had tackled him, but remained standing as he awkwardly wrapped his long arms around her. Wetness seeped through his shirts and met his chest. Looking down, he saw tears streaming from her eyes.

"You're here...you're really here" she said as she tried not to sob into his chest. Sheldon didn't know what to do and he wondered if she could hear the rapid beating of his heart.

"There, there. Sheldon's here" he said lamely and she laughed, holding him tighter. He really wanted to pull away, her tears ruining his shirt, but he was rooted to the spot.

"I've missed you" said Penny as she pulled away, wiping her tears with her coat. Sheldon stared awkwardly at the ground, a sheepish smile on his face as he began to fidget. He reminded her a twelve year old boy with his first crush and she smiled adoringly at him. In some ways, he was that twelve year old boy with his first crush.

"I-we missed you too" said Sheldon as he stopped himself from saying what he had actually wanted to say. Penny smiled and patted his cheek, earning a soft smile from him. He found he had no objections to her being so close to him, with her hand on his cheek. But he did not know what he was supposed to do, and he could see Penny knew he didn't. His face turned a light pink and Penny chuckled.

"Come on. I'll show you my apartment" said Penny as she hooked her arm through his elbow and they walked with Marie back to the apartment. Sheldon turned to Marie and was thoroughly distrubed by the wicked smirk on her face. He opened his mouth to say something but she beat him too it.

"You've delayed actually admitting to her your feelings by showing up" she said with a sing song tune to her voice, playfully mocking him. He glared at her and she shrugged.

"But she knows you care, you showed up to NY by yourself to see her" said Marie as she looked at her friend.

"But you are going to have to tell her some time" said Marie as they entered the apartment and she went into her bedroom, leaving the two lovebirds alone.

"What brought you to New York Sheldon?" asked Penny as she made some hot cocoa for them. He sat on the left side of her couch, reminiscent of his spot on the couch in his own apartment and the sight of it made her smile fondly at all the memories. Sheldon caught her gaze and shyly looked away, ignoring the rapid beating of his heart against his chest.

"I found that my schedule was no longer the same since you weren't around to ruin it. It was as if there was a hole in my daily routine where you were supposed to be to mess it up. I found that I could no longer think straight and it was affecting my relationships with the few people around me" Sheldon said rather quickly.

Penny stared at him, trying to decipher the 'Sheldon Speak' as she liked to refer to it before breaking out into a smile.

"You missed me" she said softly as she handed him the cocoa and sat beside him. She gently sipped on the cocoa and rested her head on his shoulder. He briefly stiffened but said nothing about the interaction, finding he rather enjoyed it. As the warmth of the cocoa began to lull her to sleep, Sheldon watched as Penny managed to say one last sentence before succumbing to sleep.

" I missed you too"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I am so very sorry for the lack of update. I had some personal issues going on. All is resolved now so I'll be back to updating this.**

**Thank you to the lovely people who added this story their alert/favorite lists! It means a lot. And of course, love and thanks to the wonderful people who reviewed: SunnyCitrus10, stock2007, Chylea3784, texican2436, Jislane, scissorhands101. Your support means the world to me guys! Thanks for all the support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I only own the plot and Marie **

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><p>Penny woke up to find herself resting on something warm. She was confused to find that what she was laying on was rising and falling ever so gently. As she tried to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, she found herself staring at a sleeping Sheldon. Confusion swept through her as she tried to piece what happened the previous day together in her mind but she was interrupted when a flash blinded her.<p>

"Damn it Marie what are you trying to do?" snapped Penny as she narrowed her eyes at her roommate, who was standing against a door frame with a wicked smirk on her face and a camera in her hands. Penny glanced at the time and saw it was 3 in the afternoon and groaned when she realized she couldn't kill her roommate for waking her up.

"Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty. You going to wake up Prince Neurotic and Insane?" asked Marie as she sat down and put her boot clad feet on the table. Penny noted that her hair was up in a ponytail that looked like it was a pineapple hairstyle from the front with neon hair extensions near the bottom that drapped over her shoulders. Then she noticed her clothes, a black long sleeved shirt that hung onto her shoulders by two straps but showed skin and a grey and black leopard print skirt over black ripped leggings.

"He's not insane, his mother had him tested. And get your feet off the table!" snapped Penny as she slapped her feet off the table and narrowed her eyes at Marie's smirking face.

"Am I in a parallel universe where there is a Penny who has actually heeded my words?" muttered a sleepy Sheldon and Penny turned her gaze to him and saw that his normally neat hair was disheveled and his gaze was heavily under the influence of sleep.

"And what are you doing dressed like that? How come we weren't woken up sooner?" asked Penny as she realized they slept the whole day. She briefly wondered if Sheldon was about to lose his mind over the fact that his schedule was disrupted.

And sure enough she was right. Sheldon caught the time and shot up like a rocket, his eyes wide and his voice frantic. "My schedule has been completely thrown off course!" he said in a hurry.

Marie's smirk only widened. "Oh no that's such a shame! Oh and Penny, you seem to have forgotten that tonight is the party James is throwing you for finishing your first major role. So you need to get ready for it, so does tall and geeky over there" she said, pointing a black painted finger nail at Sheldon, who in turn glared at her.

Penny groaned, knowing that there was going to be a fight between the two and took the chance to excuse herself to shower. As she walked to the bathroom she could hear the two bickering before shutting the door.

"Do you have any idea as to what you have done? You have completely disrupted my schedule which has made me miss my scheduled bowel movements, not to mention you have made me miss Doctor Who this morning" Sheldon said as he glared at the girl before him.

"Oh chill out Dr. Psycho, it was only a bit of fun" said Marie as she dismissed his mad ranting with a wave of her hand as she got up to grab a Mountain Dew from the fridge. As she turned back around, she caught sight of his eye twitching and she grinned wickedly.

"A bit of fun? You have now officially set my entire day off track" said Sheldon as his voice rose a few octaves. Marie just rolled her eyes at the very high maintenance man before her, wondering just how the hell Penny managed to handle him. Then she recalled something Penny had told her prior to Sheldon's arrival. '_Sheldon and alcohol don't mix well'_ and just like that, Marie's mischievous mind went into planning mode when Penny came back out.

Marie's amber gaze locked onto Sheldon, watching his bright blue eyes lock onto Penny and widen ever so slightly. She watched in fascination as his face brightened and his hands clutched his knees tightly. Penny wore a red halter top and form fitting black jeans with simple black heels. She noted that Penny was flushed under Sheldon's scrutinizing gaze and she simply sipped her soda.

"You should shower now Tall and Geeky" said Marie as she snapped Sheldon out of his haze and he narrowed his eyes at her again before rising off the couch. She could hardly keep her laughter in when she saw Penny's 'Play Nice!' glare directed at her as she dismissed her with a wave of her hand. It was too much fun bothering Sheldon.

"Sheldon there are about ten different types of soap in the shower, as well as the type of shampoo you usually use underneath the sink. Also I have seperate towels for you in the cabinet in the bathroom. Those are actually labeled" said Penny with a more fierocious blush. Sheldon seemed taken back by her preparation but blushed and nodded before fleeing to the bathroom.

Marie sipped her soda and turned back to Penny. "He's weird" she said. Penny glared at her and threw a pillow at her roommate, rather annoyed by her lack of hospitality towards Sheldon.

"Shush! He's an important person to me" said Penny softly. Marie smiled and shrugged, knocking the pillow to the floor as she put her feet back on the table.

"I meant that in a nice way. I mean, you can handle the fact that he's a germaphobe, and you have had all that stuff prepared for him since you started living with me. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were hoping that he would come after you" said Marie as she put her teasing aside to speak earnestly with her roommate, nearly beaming when she saw Penny's blush increase.

But before she could answer Marie, Sheldon was back in the living room wearing a normal blue stripped dress shirt and jeans with a very unpleasant glare on his face. Penny rose an eyebrow, her mouth hanging open at the normal clothes Sheldon was wearing before turning to Marie who was snickering into her can of soda.

"You went into my bag!" Sheldon cried incredulously as Marie's snickers turned into full blown laughter. Sheldon turned to Penny and was shocked to see her trying not to laugh at her friend's antics.

"Hey you weren't showing up to a party dressed like some messed up superhero" said Marie, causing Sheldon to narrow his eyes even more and in turn caused Marie to laugh harder at him.

"You are messing with forces beyond your ken woman!" he snapped and Penny's eyes widened as she clamped her hand over Marie's mouth, shaking her head at her questioning look.

"Trust me. When he says that, he means it. Sheldon will one up you in the prank war. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume he was the God of Mischief" said Penny as she chuckled at her 'Thor' reference, something that made Sheldon raise an eyebrow impressively.

"Well Penny, not only have you read up on another Marvel comic but you correctly used a character's title in conversation" he said as she blushed once more. He gave her a shy smile until Marie spoke up.

"That's all hunky dory, but can we please go to the party now?" she said, desperate to get her plan into action. Ever since their reunion yesterday, Marie was itching to get the two to become an official couple, but instead they continued to beat around the bush. She would've figured that Penny would've just jumped into the relationship thing, but then she saw the guy that her roommate was in love with.

He was a gangly child with horrible manners and a conceited attitude, but Marie knew from Penny's stories that he was a wonderful person deep down. Watching as the two grabbed their coats, she resisted the urge to slap Sheldon for not picking up Penny's coat first. Marie supposed it was because he doesn't actually know how relationships work and thusly she was going to have to be nicer to him.

Upon reaching the party, Marie watched Sheldon slink to the shadows to avoid all the alcohol...well he tried to until Penny dragged him around to meet all the cast and crew she worked with. With a wicked grin, Marie turned to someone and whispered something in their ear, pointing to Sheldon. The person nodded and approached Sheldon, handing him a drink with a friendly smile. Sheldon accepted the drink with a curt nod before sipping at it. Marie watched as his face scrunched up at the taste, but he said nothing and continued to drink.

Hours later, Marie was sitting on a couch with a proud smirk on her face as she watched a drunken Sheldon tell jokes to people around him. A drunken Penny was sitting beside him as she laughed at his jokes. Marie watched as Sheldon's inebriated smile lit up brighter whenever Penny laughed at his jokes.

Getting up, she changed the song on the stereo and watched as Penny jumped up, grabbed Sheldon's large hands, and dragged him into the dancing crowd. With haste, Marie found a new spot to sit as she pulled out her video camera and began to record their dancing. Her signature smirk was present on her face as she watched the two dance with each other. She laughed silently to herself as she saw the two dance freely with no restrictions. Sheldon, the usually uptight whack-a-doodle as Penny called him, and Penny the Big Ol' Five.

Marie was practically giddy when she saw Sheldon wrap his long arms around Penny's waist and press his forehead to hers. She leaned up and closed the distance resulting in a passionate kiss between the two drunken lovebirds. Her hands entangled themselves in his hair as he cupped the back of her head to keep her close to him. Marie recorded this to make sure they rememebered in the morning what happened...and because teasing Sheldon was way too much fun.

When it grew too late, Marie dragged her two drunken friends back to their apartment as Penny was arm in arm with Sheldon and the two were having an intense conversation about who would win in a fight: Batman or The Flash. Why those two superheros, Marie couldn't understand but the conversation made her nearly fall over laughing. She helped the two into bed, making sure that Sheldon slept in Penny's bed tonight rather than the couch and with a wicked smirk, positioned his arm around her frame after he had passed out. She was pleased to see that he pulled Penny close to him in his deep slumber and Penny smile.

With one last look at her friends, Marie walked out of the room and turned on her laptop. In moments she had their drunken night on Youtube, Facebook, and Myspace and e-mailed to their friends back in Pasadena. She smirked as she headed back to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Your support is lovely as always guys! Thank you for the input and the support! I am glad you liked that last chapter. From this chapter onward, I am going to try to input more Shenny romance into the story. It won't be right away, because we all know Sheldon isn't very quick to catch onto romance, but it'll be there. Depending on the direction the story may take, there may or may not be an M rated chapter. IF there is, it will not be until WAY later in the story.**

**But as always, thank you to the lovely reviewers: SunnyCitrus10, scissorhands101, texican2436, Chylea3784, MD4evaOLTL, (), stock2007. All your reviews and input has been fantastic and it really motivates me to write this. This story is for you guys and all the other Shenny shippers out there.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TBBT. I only own my plot and Marie**

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><p>Warmth coursed through his body like a wildfire as Sheldon curled up closer to the source of heat. It wasn't until his hand landed on something soft...and supple that caused his eyes to snap open. Before him was a sleeping Penny and he saw his hand had landed on her breast, much like it had when she was injured. Flushing red, he quickly redrew his hand but left it hovering over her side as he debated whether he should touch her or not.<p>

After an inner war with himself, Sheldon gently placed a hand on her hip and traced circles on her skin with his thumb. Softly smiling, he found himself leaning closer to her, all the while he questioned whether he was supposed to do such actions, was it protocol? Sheldon didn't know but he was happy to be with Penny.

Her soft breath on his skin made his mind go to places he would've much rather liked it not to go. In his head played scenes of her hands roaming his body, her mouth on his neck, her mouth on his, his hands on her body. Shaking his head violently, he tried to push such thoughts out of his head. But his mouth was dry, he swallowed and tried to ignore the rise in temperature.

Sheldon busied his mind with more innocent thoughts. What was he to do now that he was in New York with Penny? Better yet, how was he supposed to tell her his feelings? His genius mind had no idea of the workings of the social protocol for relationships. His relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler was more like two friends working on a science experiment. He forbidded all types of "relationship like protocols", and so now he was left in the dark about how relationships work.

Turning his gaze back to a sleeping Penny, he saw her hands balled up into his shirt as if she was afraid he would vanish, but she smiled warmly and lovingly. It made his heart skip a beat to know that he was the only one who saw this particular smile.

"Sheldon" said Penny in her sleep, causing his ears to perk up in attention. What was she dreaming about? Was it good? Was it bad? Should he feel alarmed? Sheldon didn't know but nervously ran a shaking hand through her hair, silently reveling in the softness of her golden locks.

"Don't go" she said as she pressed her head closer to his hand without even realizing. Sheldon's mind went into full alert as he realized that this was the most intimate he had ever been with a woman and he was going into full on panic mode. He didn't know what to do, what if he messed up?

Sheldon could still hear Leonard's words in his head as that thought crossed his mind. "_I have no doubt you are going to mess this up, but I know you guys will be able to overcome it"_. He had to admit, that for once, Leonard had been right. Sheldon was going to mess up, and that thought bothered him more than an unfinished equation on his white board back home.

Penny's peaceful sleep became turbulant and she became restless. Her hands came flying towards him and an almost happy sigh of relief came to find he was still there. Tears streamed down her cheeks, alarming Sheldon as he frantically thought of ways to calm her down.

He could on settle on one thing. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her towards him so that he laid on his back and her head was on his chest. "Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr" he sung gently into her ear as he rubbed her back nervously. He was relieved to see signs of her distress ebbing away and he smiled slightly to himself.

After spending as much time with Penny as he could, Sheldon caught sight of the time and saw that it was in fact time for his morning bowel movements. With much resistance, Sheldon pulled himself from Penny. And the resistance was from Penny, she had absolutely refused for him to move now that she had gotten comfortable and Sheldon had to resort to contorting his body at odd angles to escape her.

When his morning bowel movements had ended, Sheldon left the bathroom to find Marie sitting with a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of her at the island in the kitchen.

"Marie, would you be so kind as to explain to me why I woke up in these clothes in the same bed as Penny?" asked Sheldon as he walked to the kitchen and slowly opened the fridge, afraid to see if there was any week old food left in Penny's fridge. He was relieved to see that there was 2% milk, his milk.

"Oh you and her had too much to drink last night and I wasn't about to drag two drunken idiots to bed in two seperate places" explained Marie as she swallowed her cereal.

Sheldon's expression morphed into one of sheer terror and embarassment. He had gotten drunk? That was why he couldn't remember anything from last night. Though it appears he still has his pants, so perhaps he didn't do anything embarassing?

"So I didn't do anything embarassing that could jeopardize my status as a serious scientist and my dreams of winning the Nobel Prize?" asked Sheldon as he sat down on the left side of the couch with his glass of milk.

Marie smirked and pointed to the laptop in front of him. "Youtube. Just press play" she said, her words reminiscent of the last time he had gotten drunk. And suddenly he began to fear the girl before him.

Once he pressed play, Sheldon began to witness everything. How distant and conceited he was upon arrival at the party, to the amount of drinks he had drank, to the silly antics that he pulled off with Penny right beside him. He saw himself dance on tables with her, pick her up and put her on his back while he acted like Iron Man carrying a small child. But there was one thing he did that made his face turn bright red and mortification run through him.

There before him was a video of Penny and him dancing, almost on the provocative end of the spectrum, with her hands in his hair and his arms pressing her body closer to him. They were kissing passionately and he felt his body react to the sight before him, causing his face to turn an even brighter shade of red.

"How come you can kiss her when you are three sheets to the wind, but when you are sober you are like this prebubescent kid who is getting his first boob touch?" asked Marie, not noticing her word of choice had made Sheldon even more uncomfortable...or she didn't care. Sheldon couldn't decide which was more accurate.

"And what do those sheets being in the breeze have to do with alcohol consumption?" asked a very confused Sheldon. Marie groaned and put her head in her hands.

"You were drunk, you were able to kiss Penny" said Marie as she tried to make him understand. It was like arguing with a brick wall.

"Yes I understand that. But what you do not grasp is that alcohol consumption impairs the brain's ability to create a coherant thought" said Sheldon. Marie wanted to kill him in that moment, he was being difficult.

"She kissed you back!" snapped Marie as Sheldon tilted his head to the side, a sure sign of his confusion and lack of ability to grasp the situation.

He gave her his breathy laugh in response and upon seeing her glare, he immediately stopped. "That wasn't a joke?" he asked.

"NO!" screamed Marie as she picked a pillow and aimed it at him. She was going to make him understand what this all meant if it killed her...and she guranteed it would do just that.

"Damn. Here I thought I finally had the grasp of sarcasm" Sheldon said to himself as Marie's eye twitched . Penny's love interest or not, this man was infuriating and she was about to hit him with the pillow.

"Sheldon, you kissed her, she kissed back. That is what one does when they have feelings for the one kissing them" explained Marie. She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head.

"I thought you knew of Penny's feelings for you?" she asked. Sheldon nodded slowly, an indication that he was aware of that fact.

"Then why is it so difficult for you to show her your feelings?" asked Marie as Sheldon began to fidget. His hands grasped his kness tightly and his face was twitching nervously.

"Because...because being in a relationship is not something I know" he said softly, as if it would kill him to admit that ,even with an IQ of 187, he did not know the answers and mechanics of something.

Marie's glare softened and she finally understood why he was always running. He was afraid to mess things up and she was going out on a limb, but she was about to wager he never felt this way about anyone before.

Penny walked into the room and stared at the two as she wipe the sleep from her eyes. Marie watched as Sheldon became even more nervous, his knuckles turning white with the death grip he had on his knees and he tried to avoid her gaze. But when she came and sat beside him, the tension seemed to ease off his body.

Sheldon watched as Penny sat down next to him and caught Marie's calculating gaze. He lifted up his right arm, saw Marie nod, and with great uncertainty, wrapped his arm around Penny's shoulder, bringing her closer to his side. Penny blushed and rested her head on his shoulder. Feeling a bit bolder, he wrapped his other arm around her so that she was ensnared by his arms as they rested on the couch.

"Oh Penny, I'm going out tonight. So you and Sheldon have the apartment to yourselves" said Marie and she saw Sheldon's deer in headlights gaze meet hers. She gave him a reassuring smile, one that told him to trust her. With the slightest of nods, he began to relax.

"Where are you going?" asked Penny. It wasn't like her friend to leave the apartment for anything, well unless it was an anime convention, concert, or Comic Con.

"A concert" said Marie simply as she rose to her feet, about to shower when Penny stopped her.

"What day is it?" asked Penny. Marie laughed and pointed to the calendar on the wall.

"It's Friday Penny" she said before disappearing. So that meant it was Pizza and Vintage Video Game night. Everything in Sheldon's make wanted so badly for the schedule to be adhered to, but he had to fight to urge to demand that Penny pack up her belongings and book them the first train back to Pasadena.

Penny smiled at him and rose from her spot on the couch to open a closet that ,Sheldon was surprised to find, was filled with vintage games. There was a Super Nintendo, a Nintendo 64, an Atari, Sega Dreamcast, and a Playstation in there. But what impressed him the most was the fact that everything had been organized and labeled.

With a blush, she turned back to him and saw the awestruck look on his face. It made her happy to know that Sheldon wouldn't be too far out of his comfort zone. All she wanted was for him to be happy.

"Penny...What is with this collection?" asked Sheldon, his brain having trouble actually forming the words. She chuckled and pulled out the Super Nintendo.

"Marie had these at her home, so she brought them over after I had told her about your schedule and how you eat certain things on certain nights. She had wanted to hear about my friends back in Pasadena" said Penny as she set it up.

Sheldon found himself touched at the fact that Penny had prepared for his arrival, that she rememembered his schedule and how he liked things. It made his face turn red as she sat back down beside him and handed him a controller. Though his mind raced a mile a minute, Sheldon leaned down and lightly grazed Penny's cheek with his lips.

"Thank you Penny"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! <strong>


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